WILL COUNTY CHAPTER ABATE OF ILLINOIS OUR MISSION

Transcription

1 WILL COUNTY CHAPTER ABATE OF ILLINOIS August 2009 Monthly Newsletter A BROTHERHOOD AIMED TOWARDS EDUCATION OUR MISSION The mission of the Will County Chapter and A.B.A.T.E. of Illinois is to preserve the universal right to a safe, unrestricted motorcycling environment. Dedicated to Freedom of the Road Let Those Who Ride Decide! Will County ABATE, P.O. Box 928, Plainfield, IL

2 Page 2 Inside This Issue President 3 Activities NE Region Flag Events 5 Legislative 6 Can t Happen Here 7 Membership 9 Calendars 10 HOOTERS & SCOOTERS is just around the corner. If you want to get involved, let Road Captain Ron know (ron@willcoabate.org). We can use all the volunteers we can get! The new Will County ABATE website is up and running ( Check it out and bring your comments and suggestions to the next general meeting.

3 Page 3 President: Jay Hello everyone, I would like to apologize for not having an article last month. Jackie and I just returned home this morning from the South Suburban Helmet Roast. Hats off to South Suburban for another great event; a good time had by all. I believe Will Co. had at least one member participate in every field event. Thanks to those members for a great show my side is still hurting. Also, Will Co. won the N.E. Region Flag (again) with 31 members who signed in but there were about 40 in total who attended. Sometimes I think they take that sheet down early cause they know they are going to run out of paper when all of our members finally get there. Great job everyone for supporting our bothers & sisters chapter. On July 19 th there was an article that Dawn Aulet wrote in the Joliet Herald News. We had the pleasure to meet Dawn and her family at the Willie World open house membership drive in April of this year. I received a call from Dawn about a week prior to the article being printed. She wanted some information on motorcycle safety. I was skeptical about talking to her because we all know how sometimes reporters and writers can turn our words around, but through the advice of Brian, our legislator coordinator, I did it. Brian was right. She wrote a very nice article on a few safety points and didn t even mention helmets in the article. I will say I talked to her on the phone for about an hour and we talked about helmet laws, loud pipes and what our views were on many things. The one thing we should be glad is, she wrote on the fatality statistics and also included the point of the rise in motorcycle registrations which we never see pointed out. Dawn and her husband just recently started riding. She told me she wasn t sure how she would like it but she has found the enjoyment we all share. At July s membership meeting & cookout, we had some of our friends from the local state and federal political world, and our ABATE of Illinois state coordinator Legs was also there. Thanks to Ken, Brian and Kat for working to get those invites out and following up on them. Everyone seemed to have a good time. Thanks to Mr. Ed for taking care of everything. Another great job! Thanks to everyone who brought a dish to pass. I received an from Legs. He wanted to thank us for (Continued on page 4)

4 Page 4 (Continued from page 3) the invite and let us know he enjoyed himself. He also wanted to say that he was impressed on our membership s involvement to maintain our rights as a chapter in ABATE of Illinois. Ride safe everyone and be courteous out there! Jay Activities: Sharyl & Brenda Hello out there to all of you! Summertime sure has been wonderful, hasn t it? Can t complain about it being too hot or too cold, that s for sure! It s been just right. We have had some wonderful times so far. The Arrowhead Hawaiian Run where we took the flag, the South Suburban Helmet roast where we took the flag and many other runs and rides. So far, we have won six out of seven of the flag events. It s been great seeing everyone out there, both old and new friends. The Book Run is doing fantastic. We have already had several people turn their finished books in. All the stops that I have been at have had nothing but good things to say about us and the Run itself. I have a letter that has gone out to all of the establishments that participated, thanking them and inviting them to the End of Run Party, on October 10 th. People will be lining up to be on it next year. Hooters and Scooters is coming right along too. We have decided on stops and Road Captain Ron is currently planning a route. Both stops will have food you can order off of the menu. One of them will have a buffet and hot dog stands set up for a quick meal if you don t want to wait. I have been distributing flyers all over the place when we go out riding. Many of our members have been helping with that too. Thanks to Jimmy, Al, Kat, Ron, Andy, Mike and everyone else who has been putting flyers up. I have a feeling this is going to be our most successful year yet! We will be having a dinner run this month; the info will be posted on our Web page, Yahoo, and Facebook, as soon as I get it. I would also like to start putting together a weekend run up to the Kettle Moraine, in Wisconsin. I would like to do it when the leaves are changing. I figure, we could leave on Friday night, camp just (Continued on page 5)

5 Page 5 (Continued from page 4) over the border, drive to the north of it in the morning and ride down it south all day. Then camp again Saturday night just over the border and head home Sunday morning or early afternoon. Anyone interested please me at activities@willcoabate.org. This way I can start getting an idea how many may go and start looking for a place to stay. In the meantime, ride safe and have fun! Brenda NORTHEAST REGION 2009 FLAG EVENTS* AUG 22ND (SAT) WESTGATE CHAPTER 2ND ANNUAL ELLEN MITCHELL MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR $10 PER RIDE/$15 WITH PASSENGER MURPHY S DOWN UNDER HODGKINS, IL REGISTRATION 11AM FIRST BIKE 12NOON ACTIVITIES 6PM HARRY S BAR & GRILL COUNTRYSIDE, IL SEPT 12 TH (SAT) WILL COUNTY CHAPTER HOOTERS & SCOOTERS $15 PER PERSON MUST BE 21 OR OLDER HARWOOD POST JOLIET, IL REGISTRATION 11AM FIRST BIKE 1PM OCT 24TH (SAT) NE REGION PACTOBER FEST LEO S ROMEOVILLE, IL 7PM * Events are subject to change. Please check county chapter websites for updates.

6 Page 6 Legislative: Brian Greetings Will County Chapter! Well, Illinois finally has a capital spending bill, to the tune of $29 billion. Hopefully, we'll see some improvements and long needed maintenance to our roads and bridges! Other state news is 53 rd District State Senator Dan Rutherford's announcement that he's running for State Treasurer. He's been a solid friend of ours in the past, and he's indicated he's going to run regardless of whether current Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias runs for Senate or not. Things are going to get pretty interesting over the next few months, as next year is a gubernatorial election year although, with the quality of Governors we've had over the last several years, I think that should be spelled GOOBER natorial! Another statewide issue is the "motorcycle safety checks" (fancy term for roadblocks) being paid for by our Federal 2010 Funds. A couple of downstate Chapters have been raising hell about them in the media. Granted, it's profiling, but if you're riding drunk or without insurance or an "M" endorsement, whose fault is that? If you go poking the State Police with a stick, all you're going to get is more scrutiny. A more prudent move is to contact your State Senator and Representative, and tell them you feel this is unfair and discriminatory. Believe me; a few calls to the ISP from some lawmakers will carry a lot more weight than a bunch of letters to the editor. I don't know if you've heard the radio commercials or not, but the 6 county Chicago area is one of 6 metropolitan areas chosen for a federal study being conducted by the University of Iowa. They're looking for volunteers for this study. Since gas tax revenues have fallen off sharply, the Feds and the states are looking at different ways to fund highway construction and maintenance, especially since the proposed new Federal Highway Funding Bill has expenditures that are twice as high as the funds available. One of the ways being considered is by taxing drivers by the number of miles traveled. They're looking for people to sign up for a 10 month study of vehicle usage, and they're paying $895. You have to answer several questionnaires and allow them to install a GPS device on your vehicle so they can track your usage. Call me paranoid, but this just opens up all kinds of opportunities for abuse by our (Continued on page 7)

7 Page 7 (Continued from page 6) government in the name of "homeland security. One other thing that concerns me is that although they claim participants will be completely anonymous, they do not want you talking to the media if you're contacted. Hmmmmm...How could the media contact you if you're anonymous? One of my other BIG concerns is fairness. What's the incentive to buy a fuel efficient vehicle if you're being taxed the same amount per mile as somebody in a Chevy Subdivision or a Jeep Grand Heresy or a Ford Excretion? I did talk with Rep. Debbie Halvorson about this at our cookout meeting, and she said not to worry about that, as allowances are placed in the system for smaller vehicles and motorcycles. She assured me that that part of it won't be an issue. If you're interested in signing up for the study, or are just curious about it, check out Till next time, Brian Legislative Curmudgeon (I used to be an angry young man, but now that I'm getting up in years, I've become a curmudgeon. It sounds so much classier than "grouchy old fart.") Can t Happen Here Graydon Wheeler Motorcycle Riders Foundation Member Representative (Printed with permission.) There you are, one of the majority of motorcycle riders in this country that does not belong to a motorcycle rights organization. But that's okay. There's enough people out there that are willing to sacrifice their time and money in order for you to enjoy your ride in freedom. Heck, some of your best friends belong to such a group; they're at a meeting right now. But it's too nice a day to be inside listening to someone gripe about what the politicians are doing to us. And your one vote, one voice wouldn't make a difference anyway, would it? So you get on your bike and go for a ride down to the custom shop to get some new parts to add on your ride to make it stronger/better/ faster/nicer/sharper. Only, the shop has had to close. Government regulations have (Continued on page 8)

8 Page 8 (Continued from page 7) been passed that prohibit the use of any non approved replacement parts on your motorcycle. No more choppers, bobbers and customs. Only what the government tells you to use. "But wait!", you say to yourself, "that can't happen here." In December 2003, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Final Rulemaking (FRM) establishing more stringent emission for highway motorcycles for the year of Gone are the days of building whatever, whenever and showing off your creation. The rules have tightened up, and may get tighter. So you get on your bike and go for a ride down the road that is designated as a highway where motorcycles are allowed. Motorcycles are allowed? "But wait!, you say to yourself, "that can't happen here." A number of states and several countries around the world are using private capital to design, build and operate highways, recovering the investment through tolls charged to users. Since 1988, 12 states and Puerto Rico have authorized public private partnerships for highway projects, and two new tollways of this type opened to traffic in Around the country there are restrictions on commercial vehicles on certain roadways, and with this relatively new system of road ownership/ maintenance, who's to say whether or not other types of vehicles will be subject to bans and restrictions? So you get on your bike and go for a ride down the road that is designated as a highway where motorcycles are allowed at the prescribed time of day. Prescribed time of day? A curfew? "But wait!, you say to yourself, "that can't happen here." From Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: No loud mufflers. No straight pipes. No revving of engines or excessive noise. Curfew is in effect from 1:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. for juveniles under age 18, with certain exceptions. Yes, this curfew is for those under eighteen years of age, but how much of a push would the local politicians need if local residents claim to be bothered by the motorcycles in their neighborhood, and would like the curfew extended to motorcycles as well? And with the many noise (Continued on page 9)

9 Page 9 (Continued from page 8) ordinances that are being pushed around the country, this can become reality. So you get on your bike and go for a ride down the road that is designated as a highway where motorcycles are allowed at the prescribed time of day wearing your governmentmandated helmet, eye protection, highly reflective jacket, pants, boots and gloves. Governmentmandated gear? The government's telling us what we can and can't wear? "But wait!, you say to yourself, "that can't happen here." But have you ridden on a U.S. military installation lately? Or are you a member of the armed forces, those honorable men and women willing to fight for our freedoms? "All bikers and passengers riding on base and service members driving off base either on or off duty must wear the appropriate and required personal protective equipment". This is the rule, not the exception. And there are those in positions of authority and influence that think these rules should apply to ALL riders. So you get on your bike and go for a ride down the road that is designated as a highway where motorcycles are allowed at the prescribed time of day wearing your government mandated helmet, eye protection, highly reflective jacket, pants, boots and gloves. And you ask yourself, "How the hell did it get this far? What the hell happened?" And you catch a glimpse of yourself in your mirror as you are out riding while others who belong to motorcycle rights organizations are attending meetings, because you believed that your one vote, one voice wouldn't make a difference, and you see the answer. You're what the hell happened. Membership: Helen MOST WANTED PLEASE SEE PRINTED NEWSLETTER FOR COMPLETE LISTING OF RENEWALS OR CONTACT HELEN!

10 Page 10 UPCOMING EVENTS* August Board Meeting: Harwood (Wed) 3-9 Sturgis Week 12 General Membership Meeting: Harwood (Wed) 15 ABATE of IL e-board & BOD Meetings (Sat) 15 Run for Those Over Lincoln Beverly & Oak Hill Cemetery-Ending at South Park in Wilmington: Sign 9am, 1st Bike $15 per Bike/$20 with Passenger ($5 more after July 31st) (Sat) 22 Westgate Chapter Magical Mystery Murphy s Down Under Hodgkins: Sign 11am, 1st Bike 12pm, $10 per Ride/$15 with Passenger (Sat) September Board Meeting: Harwood (Wed) 9 General Membership Meeting: Harwood (Wed) 12 Will County Hooters & Scooters Harwood Post: Sign 11am, 1st Bike Out 1pm, $15 per person (Sat) 19 ABATE of IL e-board Meeting (Sat) Meeting of the Minds Bloomington, MN (Thurs-Sun) October Board Meeting: Harwood (Wed) 14 General Membership Meeting: Harwood (Wed) 17 ABATE of IL e-board & BOD Meetings (Sat) 24 NE Region Pactober Fest: Leo s Romeoville (Sat) *Check relevant websites for updates to the calendar.